PARKING CHARGES plan could hit Lickey Hills
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PARKING CHARGES plan could hit Lickey Hills
Local Councillors and Member of Parliament have opposed the decision, with a crunch meeting of the Council's Scrutiny Committee taking place on Monday
Labour-run Birmingham City Council have announced this month a plan to introduce car parking charges to several flagship parks across the city, including Lickey Hills.
The Cabinet Member for Environment at the Council, Cllr Majid Mahmood (Lab), argues that the plans are required to provide additional income to maintain the parks in question, but local Conservative Councillors have vocally criticised the plans.
Cllr Adrian Delaney (Cons, Rubery & Rednal) told Counter Cut, “the City’s Parks don’t belong to the Council but to the people of Birmingham, to whom they were gifted.
“Access to parks, and other green spaces, is vital for both physical and mental health. Sadly, the Labour Council in Birmingham - as well as building on green space bigger than the size of Vatican City - are now seeking to make it as difficult as possible for people to use the parks that remain.
“Not everyone can walk or cycle to get there, especially the elderly or those with small children but Labour want to deny these groups access to gems like Lickey Hills.”
Cllr Delaney is one of two Conservative Councillors who are representing their colleagues at the Council’s Scrutiny Committee on Monday to challenge the plan.
The Conservative MP for Birmingham Northfield, Gary Sambrook, has also voiced his opposition to the plan for Lickey Hills, writing on social media, “there are not sufficient public transport links and with the pressure on cost of living all this will do is turn people away from the Hills.
“That's why earlier this month I launched my campaign to keep the car park free."
Sambrook has launched a petition to oppose the plan on his website: www.garysambrook.co.uk/campaigns/keep-lickey-hills-car-park-free
The other sites in Birmingham at risk from the plans are Woodgate Valley Country Park, Rectory Park, Sheldon Country Park and Sutton Park.
The Conservatives on the Council have also launched a campaign to oppose the plans for parking charges at the parks across the city. They are calling on residents to sign their petition here: www.birminghamconservatives.org.uk/campaigns/keep-parking-free-public-parks